PARIS
After weeks of heated debates, France’s pension reform bill passed through the lower house of French parliament on Wednesday, clearing key hurdle for the president’s hallmark reforms.
The National Assembly approved the bill, which aims to streamline 42 separate pension schemes into one point-based system, touted to be simpler and more fair.
In final parliamentary discussions in the very early morning, the bill endured two no-confidence votes, despite being comprised of 39 articles and having had 41,000 amendments posted by opposition parties to delay its adoption.
The opposition failed against President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority in the National Assembly.
Read more: France: Disputed pension reform bill clears key hurdle
